In the latest issue of Flood Industry magazine, Graham Brogden MBE, Chair of the International Property Flood Resilience Association (IPFRA), explores how the Environment Agency’s Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Framework transformed a fragmented market into a mature, standards-led industry. Historically, PFR was used reactively and delivered inconsistently. The introduction of the framework's structured, two-Lot model separated survey and quality assurance from detailed design and construction, reducing ambiguity and strengthening supply chain oversight.
This structural certainty provided businesses with a sustained route to market, granting them the confidence to invest in staff training, regional delivery, and operational scale. The framework embedded Minimum Technical Requirements and aligned delivery with the CIRIA PFR Code of Practice and CIWEM training programmes. This environment also acted as a catalyst for the formation of IPFRA, uniting the distinct disciplines of surveying, engineering, manufacturing, and installation into a single collaborative voice.
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Furthermore, the framework has driven innovation and data validation by supporting effectiveness studies, the independent test tank at the University of Hull, and national initiatives like the Floodmobile and the National Flood School at HR Wallingford. It has also underpinned major Defra-funded innovation programmes, moving PFR from a specialist intervention to a mainstream component of flood risk management.
Industry perspectives included in the article reinforce this impact. Julie Foley from the Environment Agency confirms a commitment to a new framework focused on technical best practice, while flood advocate Mary Long-Dhonau OBE highlights how framework funding delivers more comprehensive property protection and greater peace of mind than legacy grant schemes. Steve Thompsett MBE of JBA Consulting notes that the structured approach builds vital homeowner confidence, and Gareth Boyd, CEO of Watertight International, attributes his company’s substantial growth directly to the stability provided by the system. Finally, Kelly Ostler-Coyle from Flood Re highlights how the framework operates alongside the Build Back Better initiative to embed long-term resilience into property recovery.
Read the article here: https://magazine.floodindustry.com/books/Issue-12-MayJune2026_d/#p=12